Hinata's Happy Ending
by ReaperDuckling
Summary: "They're going to make me marry." He said suddenly, making her blink at him in surprise. "You t-too?" Shino smiled bitterly. "Yes. I suppose that's what they make us clan leaders do now, right?" Part of the Happy Ending Series


**AN: **This became one of the longest parts of the Happy Ending series. xD

**Warnings: **Karui's horrible manners

* * *

_**~8**__**th**__** of June~ **_

They put up another war memorial.

A simple stone standing next to the other by the graveyard, the one from the third ninja war, with name after name after name of family and friends and coworkers carved into it with small, delicate letters.

The name at the top of the list was Tsunade's.

Her name was traced with gentle fingers by Shizune, that was sitting by the foot of the stone sobbing quietly even as Kakashi held his speech to the villagers, _his _villagers now, of how the fallen would never be forgotten, of how they were _heroes. _

He spoke pretty words of peace and new beginnings, the syllables rolling off of his tongue clumsily, and had to fight the urge to smile (_a twisted, sad smile_) when he caught himself telling everyone about the will of fire, and the springtime of youth.

Kakashi watched his people morn; watched Tsume hug Hinata to her harshly (_the older woman crying for the death of her only son, the younger for her comrades and her father_), watched the cold emptiness swim in Ino's, Shikamaru's, Chouji's and Lee's eyes, and the tears that fell freely from Naruto's cheeks (_he cried for them all, friends and strangers, deceased and those left to live with the weight of it. It made Kakashi think bitterly about how he should have been made Hokage, how much more __**worthy **__Naruto would have been_) – and it made him think about the joint shinobi army, about the pretty words of alliances and friendship, about one nation, one people.

And yet, the only names written on the stone were the ones of Konoha's own.

In death, everyone had been divided, and everyone was alone.

He thought about his meeting with his father in the afterlife, and wondered how many others there were sitting there now, staring at the flickering of flames in the darkness of limbo, awaiting their loved ones.

He wondered if Neji was one of them, waiting to tell Lee that it was alright, he'd given his life willingly but they'd always be friends, please be happy? Was Hiashi sitting next to him, waiting for Hinata and Hanabi?

He wondered if Tsunade had been reunited with Jiraiya, and if, at least in death, he'd finally found the courage to tell her how he felt.

A mental image of Shikaku, Chôza and Inoichi sitting by the fire, laughing and reminiscing about the good old days of their life's while awaiting their children and wife's struck him suddenly, making him force down a smile.

And then another, one of Rin and Obito (_a child in death. Innocent and pure, like he'd once been, before war and death and __**pain**__ had crushed and malformed him_) sitting by the fire, waiting for _**him**_, for them to be together again like they were meant to – and suddenly he knew, he just _**knew**_, that they'd be alright.

There was a wedding ring around his finger, spreading warmth throughout his entire body, and before he knew what he was doing, Kakashi found himself walking up to Shizune by the stone and putting a hand on her trembling shoulder.

He raised his head, and spoke to his people.

"We'll be alright… _They're _watching over us."

_**~12**__**th**__** of June~**_

If it had been anyone else breaking into her bedroom at 2am in the night, Hinata might have been worried.

As it was, Shino and Kiba had been sneaking into it, ready to whisk her off on some midnight adventure ever since they first got assigned to the same team; so when she awoke to the sudden lightening of weight on her bed and a cold wind ruffling her hair softly, she didn't clench the kunai hiding underneath her pillow _too _tightly.

After all, Akamaru seemed calm enough.

A quick sneak peak with her Byakugan confirmed her suspicions – there, on the window sill, Shino was sitting in a green pajamas and sunglasses, waiting for her to acknowledge him.  
Undoing the eye jutsu, she sat up in bed and gave a small yawn before turning to her friend with a sleepy smile.

"You can come in you know. It's chilly outside."

"I like it here."

She gave a small chuckle - that response was so much like him, it was pleasant to know that at least _something_ was constant in her life.

The big, white ninja dog walked up and gave his hand a lick, and he ruffled the canine's head back lovingly.

"You've been dreaming again."

It wasn't a question.

"So have you."

There was a long, comfortable silence during which Hinata simply watched Shino petting the dog, illuminated by the moonlight, and _thought. _

She thought about her cousin, about her father and of Kiba.

She thought of the howling that haunted her at night, and how lucky she was to have someone left that _understood_.

"They're going to make me marry." He said suddenly, making her blink at him in surprise.

"You t-too?"

Shino smiled bitterly.

"Yes. I suppose that's what they make us clan leaders do now, right?"

"Yeah…" she smiled back, before she made the decision to crawl out of her bed, knowing full well that she was stark naked, stand up and cross the room to embrace him softly.

If he was embarrassed, he showed no signs of it – they'd been friends for _so long_, fighting and crying and laughing together, that this kind of intimacy didn't seem too intimate any longer.

He only wrapped his arms around her and buried his nose in her hair.

"I wish I could marry you." She whispered against his chest, only allowing herself the smallest of blushes.

"Me too." He responded. "It's funny… I always thought that when I'd be clan leader, I'd get to do what I wanted. Apparently, that's not the case."

Hinata smiled bitterly, holding on to him tighter.

He was strangely talkative tonight.

"Have they decided yet?"

Something heavy and cold settled in the pit of her stomach.

Her smile died.  
"Yes…" she mumbled.

"Who?"

Finally deciding to pull away, she went and covered herself with a bathrobe and then crouched down on the floor next to Akamaru.  
When she started rubbing him behind the ears, he gave a low grumble of appreciation from the back of his throat and put his head into her lap.  
"His name is Darui…" she said, avoiding eye contact by concentrating on the dog below her instead. "…he's from Cloud."  
"I've heard of him. He's a war hero."

"Yes, and, apparently, he doesn't have a blood line technique to out wage mine in our future…" she swallowed thickly. "…ch-children."

"That makes sense, I suppose… considering your family's history with the cloud, it's probably meant as a peace offering."

She forced up a shaky smile and turned to look at him, trying her hardest not to get angry.

"You sound just like the Elders."

They fell into silence again, more loaded this time, and Hinata turned back to petting Akamaru in a desperate attempt of regaining some sense of calm.  
She heard Shino slid down the window sill, into the room, and froze in place when he crossed it to stand just behind her, hand hovering inches above her skin, as if he didn't know what to do with it.

"Naruto doesn't have any blood line techniques either, as far as I know off…" he started, making her hands tremble. She did _not _want to talk about this! "…have you tried…?"

"I have." She turned to him, another fake smile twisting her face into a pained grimace. "They told me that…" the words felt heavy in her throat. "…told me that there wasn't any idea of even asking, that even if he _did _agree it would be because of some sick feeling of _guilt _because of Neji and that… _**that**_…"

Akamaru whined softly.

She was tearing up again.

Her father, her cousin, her best friend – all were dead. Her sister was crippled; she had paperwork to do and economy to balance, traditions to uphold and a body to work until it was worthy of the leadership of one of the most renowned families of killers in the world; her lifelong dedication to her crush was one sided and useless and she hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in _**so long **_how could she continue this way?! How could she-

"Who are you?" The voice was low, barely audibly, yet heavy with anger.

"What…?"

"Who _**are you**_, Hinata?!" Shino almost shouted, and coming from him it was _terrifying. _It made Akamaru whine and slink away into the corner of the room, and Hinata wince and make herself smaller. "What is your _**purpose?!**_ Why did you become strong?"

"I…" she stuttered nervously. "N-Naruto-kun…"

"No!" The word felt like a slap. She fell headfirst to the floor in a bow, frantic words of apology on the tip of her tongue that died the very instant that Shino crouched down beside her and put his hand on her shoulder. "…_who are you?_"

"I…" slowly, she raised herself from the floor and turned to look at him. There was a smile on his face, the truest one she'd seen since the world fell apart and war turned them into adults, and it made a sudden burst of energy and confidence bloom in her chest. "…I am Hinata Hyuuga. Mine is the will of fire and…" she smiled back. "…I became strong for my friends, and my family."

The smile slipped from his features and he pulled away to sit in front of her on the floor.

"Good."

She chuckled.

If it had been anyone else she would have been worried.

Now she just felt at home.

_**~19**__**th**__** of June~**_

Apart from the Raikage, that after a quick, courteous greeting with Hinata and the clan elders slunk of with a bouquet of flowers that she'd originally thought was for her, to pay his respect to Tsunade, the woman that had saved him, at the war memorial – her future husband's marriage procession was generally modest.

There was the second bodyguard of the village leader, a pale young man that looked even paler compared to his dark skinned companions, named C; the Raikage assistant, a serious looking girl named Mabui; and one girl with fire in her hair _and _her eyes that looked strangely familiar to Hinata, but that she couldn't quite put her finger on where she'd seen before.

Apparently, she was the only one that was supposed to stay until the wedding begun, three months from then.

Tearing her eyes from the girl, she turned to look shyly at her fiancé instead, having avoided doing this so far.

He'd been standing leaning against one of the walls since he'd greeted the elders, looking as if he'd might fall asleep at any second and nothing at all like the war hero they'd told her that he was.

A modest procession for a modest man, she thought.

But… there was no doubting he was handsome, and he had kind eyes.

When he'd first arrived at the Hyuuga gates and they'd been introduced, she'd blushed and looked to the ground, and he'd given her a curious glance, but nothing more, and hadn't even looked her way since.

It made her feel nervous; could it be that he was angry with her? That he didn't want to get married either, but had been forced just like she had?

Her stomach gave a painful clench, but she forced herself not to look away, not to give in to her shyness and shame herself once again when the future of her clan rested on her shoulders.

That's right… _her _clan.

She was their leader now, and it was her duty to get to know this man, live with this man, _**love **_this man!

Filled with determination unknown to her outside of the battlefield (_because when fighting, she was always calm_), she crossed the room, hands clenched into tight fists, and fought the blush that was threatening to set her face ablaze.

As she came closer, his red haired body guard noticed and went to stand beside him, scowling at her as she approached, and her fiancé finally looked at her, a spark of interest shining through his deep dark eyes.

"What do you want?" The girl snapped when she came to a stop before them, but Hinata refused to back down.

"I-I…" cursing her stuttering tongue, she bowed down deep to hide her blush. "…I came to greet my future husband properly, and welcome him to his new home. I am Hinata Hyuuga, and it will be my honor to take you as my man, Darui-sama." Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears, and yet she allowed herself a small, victorious smile. She'd done well.  
Her father would be proud.

"Oy…" he sounded nervous, like he didn't know quite what to do. "…don't bow to me. It ain't right. We're gonna be husband and wife, aren't we? There's no reason for you to _**bow**_…"  
He laughed awkwardly, and she blushed slightly even as she straightened her back.

He seemed… nice.

"That's right! What kind of meek lil' kitten are ya' anyway?! Aren't you a kunoichi?! How can ya survive a battle with that stupid ass attitude?!"

"I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"No, don't listen to her! She doesn't know what she's saying, _**do you Karui?! **_She's really sorry, _**I**_'m really sorry, she didn't mean to offend you…"

"Oh, I wasn't offended I promise! There's really nothing to forgive…!"

"…she just doesn't know when to shut up…!"

"I don't want her to shut up, s-s-she can talk as much as she like…"

"…they told me you're a fierce kunoichi!"

"They told me that about you as well!"

They stared at each other for a long, long time before she realized her mistake, blushed crimson and bowed deep once again.  
"I'msosorryIdidn'tmeankunoichiImeantshinobipleased on'tbeoffended!"

"Oh, no, no, it's alright, I promise, please don't bow again!"

"Wow. You two are just _perfect _for one another…"

Slowly, Hinata raised her face from the floor to look at the other woman.

If they'd been part of a comic book, she was sure that Karui had been sweat dropping right now, a look of pure boredom and annoyance on her face as she glared at Hinata.

Feeling stupid, the Hyuuga heiress raised herself from the floor, avoided looking at the furiously blushing face of her husband to be, and pretended to be extremely interested in her feet for a while.

What followed was a long, awkward silence.

"Ehm…" Hinata suddenly stuttered, feeling the need to start a proper conversation. "…your name is Darui and Karui, right?" She blushed. "Does that mean that you two are siblings?"

Another long, awkward silence.

Then, all hell broke loose.

"WHAT KIND OF PARENTS WOULD NAME THEIR KIDS DARUI AND KARUI?! THAT'S THE STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, DO YOU THINK WE LOOK ALIKE JUST BECAUSE WE'RE BOTH BLACK, HUH?! HUUUUUUUUH?! I'LL TEACH YOU NOT TO…!"

And on she went, even as Darui crossed the distance between them, put a hand on Hinata's shoulder that left it tingling and whispered: "I am so sorry, we _really _shouldn't have brought her along…"

_**~22**__**nd**__** of June~**_

Walking into the small wedding dress shop she'd been told that Gai-sensei was at, Tenten immediately felt _very _out of place.

Everywhere around her there were frilly western dresses in white and pink; elegant kimonos in purple and red, and, standing loitering around them, beautiful women with manicured nails (civilians no doubt, no kunoichi could keep her nails that long and clean), shiny long hair and painted lips.

It would seem that after the war, people had started realizing just how _short _life really was, and a sudden wedding (and pregnancy) wave had hit the village.

Feeling ugly and out of place, Tenten started moving towards the men's section, hoping to find her sensei there, when suddenly she caught sight of a big, white dog that couldn't be anyone but…  
"Akamaru?"  
The ninja dog turned to look at her, having heard her whisper from the other end of the crowded shop, and gave a happy bark.

"What are ya' yelling at now, ya' stupid mutt?" A red headed, dark skinned girl she didn't recognize exclaimed; and then Hinata was next to her, asking her kindly to please don't be rude to him, Karui-san…?

"It's only a dog! Ain't like he knows what I'm saying!"

"She asked you to stop, Karui." Another figure she didn't recognize appeared, a dark skinned boy their age that was holding a stack of different kimonos carefully in his arms.

Tenten could only stare, trying to figure out what on earth Hinata was doing in a wedding shop with a bunch of strangers, when suddenly the aforementioned girls pale eyes met hers, and a look of pure terror overcame her.

"Hey, Hinata, what's wrong?" The male asked her.

The red head followed her trail of eyesight though, and narrowed her eyes when it ended on Tenten, that still had no idea of what was going on.  
"Is that chick bothering you?" The girl punched her own palm threateningly. "You want me to go and kick her ass?"

"N-no…" she had to strain her ears to hear what she said. "…she's a… a friend. I-I just haven't… I haven't r-really _told _her…"

Haven't told her?

Then suddenly, all the pieces fit together, and a shock of electricity passed through her body.

Hinata was getting _**married?! **_

_**~22**__**nd**__** of June~ **_

"So… You're getting married?"

Hinata nodded.

"To that guy?" She gestured towards the dude on the other side of the shop she'd just found out was named Darui.

Hinata blushed, but nodded again.

"That you met like… what? Two days ago?"

"Three." The raven put her fingers together nervously and looked at the floor.

"And you're doing it in three months?"

Another nod.

A trail of cold sweat ran down Tenten's back.

This situation was trying her patience.

"Hinata…" The girl looked up at her again, eyes wide and nervous. "…you're _seventeen._"

"I'll be eighteen this winter."

"That's _**still **_too early to marry!"

"I-it's not like I have a ch-choice…" she blushed.

Tenten sighed.

"Aren't you supposed to be the leader of your family now? Doesn't that mean that you can decide when and whom to marry yourself?"

"Th-that's not how it w-w-works. My life is my clan's life now…"

"That's stupid!"

"It's not!" Hinata declared forcefully, looking back up at Tenten with a fire to her eyes that the brunette hadn't seen before.

Chocked, she slunk back into her seat, defeated.

They fell into an awkward silence after that, listening to the sounds of the busy little shop.

"Is he nice to you?"

The raven gave her a sweet little smile.

"Yes."

Another silence, only this time, it was a lot more pleasant.

"Tenten-san…" Hinata whispered, suddenly nervous. "…you won't… won't _tell _anyone about this, right? Please?"

"You're going to have to tell them sooner or later."

"I know! I just… _I _want t-to do it."

Tenten nodded.

"Alright. I promise…" She grinned. "…but you owe me one!"

_**~25**__**th**__** of June~ **_

"Wazzup, stupid face?

Me and Darui are doing okay, the others left yesterday but that's alright, I think the Hyuuga's were getting pretty sick of Raikage-sama ruining their precious paper walls all the time anyway.

Now I know what you're thinking, and I am happy to confirm to you that yes, I am most definitely the sexiest chick here, even though I suppose that Darui's precious little "Hinata-chan 3" (euck) is kind of cute as well (her eyes are creepy).

She's totally annoying though, meek as a frikkin kitten – we're gonna have to toughen her up if she's gonna be Darui's wife!  
But I like her dog.

He's cool.

He looks big enough to ride, but when I tried to he just shrugged me off and Hinata got all OHKAMIAREYOUALRIGHT on me.

Pfft.

Annoying.

I hear she got him (the dog) from her old, dead team mates mom because he reminded her too much of her kid or something, but I don't know it might just be rumors or something.

Anyway, write me back soon, and say hello to Samui for me! /Karui"

_**~3**__**rd**__** of July~**_

Hinata and Akamaru watched him sit by the memorial, legs pulled up to his chest, simply staring at the cold piece of rock in the grass.

He didn't react when she came to sit beside him, nor when the dog gave him a lick on the cheek.

She hadn't seen him since the funeral, when the memorial had been put up; hadn't had the time or the energy to visit the dead herself yet, and he looked worse than she'd ever seen him.

The lines under his eyes went deep, and his normally energetic face seemed pale and as lifeless as the stone in front of them.

She felt a sudden clench of envy at the thought of that; here he was, throwing his life away for a _**dead**_ person, while she didn't even have the time to _**sleep **_because of her duties as the head of her clan and her marriage preparations.

It didn't seem fair that she wouldn't get to say her goodbyes to her father, her cousin _**or**_ her best friend because of lack of time; when Lee had all the time in the world _**yet still refused to do it. **_

But she wasn't there to yell at him.

She'd given her friend a promise, and she intended to keep it.

"Lee-san…" she prompted softly.  
He didn't react.

"H-he was my cousin, you know…" still no response. She refused to back down. "…if he'd st-still lived, he'd be my f-fiancé now. He loved us both, Lee-san…" she smiled softly at the stone. "…th-that's why I know, that he wouldn't want this. He'd want you to be strong. For Gai-sensei and Tenten…" she crawled up to sit in front of him, cradling his face gently in her hands to force him to look into her eyes. "…and me. Won't you train with me, Lee-san? Then we can become strong together, for him."

There was a long, long silence.

"Tenten put you up to this, didn't she?" He finally asked her, voice low and hoarse from lack of use.

"Yes…" she put her hands into her lap, and gave him her sweetest smile. "…she cares for you. So did he…" she nodded against the stone. "…and so do I."

Without further ado, she stood up and reached her hand out invitingly.

"Come t-train with me, Lee-san!"  
No reaction.

A sudden memory hit her, making her smile.

"If you do, I'll race you to the training ground. The looser has to run ten times around the village with the winner on his or her back."

Another, long silence fell upon them, making the smile on her lips crumble with doubt.

"Make it twenty, and I'm in."

A wave of happiness and pride erupted inside of her, creating a big, sunny grin that would have put Naruto to shame on her face.

"You're on!"

He took her hand.

_**~27**__**th**__** of June~**_

"Hey Karui!

I went and talked to Samui yesterday, gave her some flowers and said that they were from you and Darui, hope you don't mind.

I'm not sure what kind of flowers she likes though, or if she even likes flowers; so I'm kind of worried that she'll go yelling at you, then you'll get so scared that you'll both die from heart attacks, THEN the Hyuugas will be super pissed and start a war with Cloud, and I'll fall in love with some Leaf kunoichi, and it will be just like Romeo and Juliet only I don't want to commit suicide with her and...

I'm getting off topic.

Anyway, Raikage-sama and his gang came home like… two days ago?

They seem fine, a little tired maybe, and Raikage-sama got super pissed when he got to know about the secret concert Bee-sama is about to host tomorrow, so now it's cancelled and I worked my butt of selling all of those tickets for nothing.

Hinata-chan seems cute, do you think she'll like me?

I can't wait until the wedding; I've never seen Konoha when it's not in ruins! I'm sure I'll meet some cute girls there this time and _**not**_ have to spend my vacation watching you beat up innocent homosexuals!

Write me back soon! /Omoi "

_**~3**__**rd**__** of July~**_

Through the sweat, the back pain and the exhaustion, Hinata laughed.

She was on her eighteenth lap with Lee on her back; he was clutching his legs against her waist so hard it _**hurt**_, he kept laughing and screaming at her to go faster, _faster, __**faster **_(!), calling her his Eternal Rival, and she hadn't felt so _**free **_since the good old days with team eight.

Akamaru was running beside them, tail waving wildly, barking, and if she didn't know better she'd swear to Kami that he was laughing.

And then, they turned a corner, and she came face to face with no other than her fiancé, Karui and (_to her absolute horror_) the Hyuuga elders.

She froze.

They still hadn't seen them.

"Eternal Rival, what's wrong?" Rock Lee questioned, completely oblivious, pushing his heels to her sides softly as if she was a horse. "You still have two laps to go! Faster now, faster!"

At the sound of his loud voice, everyone turned towards them, and she dropped him to the ground in pure horror.

This… this wasn't good.

_**~3**__**rd**__** of July~**_

They were sitting together outside in an awkward silence around one of the tables surrounding a local ramen stand – Karui and Darui on one side, Hinata on the other.

It seemed like every one of them had different ways of handling the pressure; the Hyuuga heir was fiddling with her index fingers, her fiancé kept staring down at his own feet and his bodyguard was gulfing mouthful after mouthful of ramen down her throat, reminding Hinata briefly of another sloppy eater she knew.

They'd been left alone by Rock Lee, Akamaru and her elders (that apparently had been showing their guests around town) about half an hour earlier, to, as her grandfather, the leader of their council, had told her darkly "talk things out", making her burn with shame.

So far, not a word had been spoken between them.

Trying to ignore the tension, Hinata watched Karui eat out of the corner of her eyes, watched some ramen soup drip down her chin and thought it cute.  
She realized her mistake only seconds afterwards, and ducked her head down in shame.

Hadn't she done enough harm already, _**without **_ogling her fiancé's body guard?!

"So…" Darui broke the silence suddenly, making her jump in her seat to meet his eyes. He looked nervous. "…I'm sorry but is he like… your boyfriend or something?"

She blinked.

Wait… who?

Then, realization hit, and she blushed beet red.

"N-no! No Lee-kun is just… H-he's just a fr-friend!"

"You sure? I mean I'm really sorry for having to ask you but… I just think that if he is, I should get to know about it like… _**now**_, you know… Sorry."  
He looked away nervously, a small tint of a blush on his cheek.

Hinata refused the urge to laugh out loud.

_**That's **_what they thought?! That she and Lee where a couple? And here she'd been worried because she thought they were pissed at her for having run around with him on her back and somehow shamed the family!

This was such a relief, she couldn't help but smile (this meant that she could do it again).

"No, no, Lee-kun is my Eternal Rival." The words slipped out of her before she could stop them.

Darui turned back to her with a questioning look, and Karui actually _**stopped **_eating to stare at her. She blushed again.

"Whaaaaa?" The redhead questioned intelligently, mouth still filled with food.

"I'm sorry but… What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"I-it means th-that…" she stumbled over the words, desperately trying to remember what Lee had said to her when she'd asked him earlier that day. "…we will t-train and… and fight-t against each other, as friends and c-companions so th-that we…" Hinata took a deep, steadying breath to calm herself. "…we're always evenly matched, and can protect each other and the ones we love from harm."

They stared at each other for a long, long time after that.

"Didm't te 'okage's boyfriemd call 'im Etermal Vival all te time?" Karui asked, mouth still stuffed, before she swallowed it all down and turned to Darui alone. "You remember? When we first got to the village and had to go say hello to him? This weird green dressed dude..." she turned back to Hinata. "…he kind of looked like your friend, when I think about it!.." back to Darui. "…that was hanging around the office!"

The redhead gave Hinata a suspicious look that made the heart in her chest fall.

"He kept calling him his "Eternal Rival", and they're _**getting married **_from what I've heard... You sure this Lee-dude doesn't have some kind of crush on you, kitten?"

"N-no!" She squeaked, blushing once again. "H-he used to c-call my c-cousin, Neji-nii sama, that b-before he d-d-died!" She ducked her head down in shame. "I'm j-just a r-replacement."

A long silence fell upon them.

Then, both Lightning ninjas spoke up at once:  
"I'm sorry for your loss."  
"So what… he's gay?"

"N-no!" She exclaimed, chocked at Karui's suggestion. "H-he's in love with T-Tenten-san!"

"You sure she's not a transvestite?" Karui smirked back.  
"Y-yes!"

"How?"  
"I've s-seen!"

"Oh you have, have you kitten? You heard that, Darui? Maybe it's not the guys we should be worried about her hooking up with after all…?"

"I d-didn't mean…!"

"Karui…" Darui interrupted, voice laced with threats. "…_**shut up**_."

The younger girl did, all though with an angry frown on her face, giving Hinata some time to collect herself again.

"Go to another table. One far away from here. I need to speak with my fiancé _**alone**_."

She felt her heart start to beat faster at that and her face heat up.

He sounded angry.

Had she done something wrong?

"But what if you're attacked?!"

"Then I'm sure that you'll notice, even if you're sitting ten meters away from us. If not, then we're both more than capable of taking care of ourselves."

"But-!"

"_**NOW**_, Karui!"

She slunk away from the table, her bowl of ramen in her hands and her metaphorical tail between her legs to sit at the table as far away from theirs as possible.

Hinata had half a mind to follow when Darui turned to her, exhaustion but no anger in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you…" he sighed, rubbing at his temples.

"That's alright!"  
"…she's just _**such a bother! **_I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with her…"

"No really, I don't mind! I'm sure she can be very sweet!"

"…we really shouldn't have brought her along."

"I'm happy that you did."

He gave her a doubting raise of his eyebrow, making her force up a nervous smile.

Darui sighed once again.

"Whatever, anyway…" he said, and leaned forward towards her, chin resting against the back of his hands. "…I thought that we should take this opportunity to _**talk**_. You know, about… all the things we should know about each other before we've gotten married. That _**normal**_ couples would have known by now." He leaned back in his seat. "…is that fine with you?"

"O-okay…" she stuttered, nervous and curious at the same time. "What do you want to know?"

"I figured you could ask first."

"A-alright… wh-what's… what's your favorite color?"

"Blue. Are you a virgin?"

If there had been something in her mouth at the moment, she would have spit it all out from the chock. He was _**so straightforward**_, she didn't think that he'd ask questions like _**that! **_

Then again, it only made sense. _**If **_they'd been a normal couple, he would most likely have found out if she was a virgin or not beforethe engagement, if not through word than through… she blushed a little deeper... _**Action. **_

"N-no…" Hinata finally managed to choke out, making him nod.

Strangely, he didn't seem very surprised.

"Don't worry, I won't be asking for any details. I'm sorry if you think this is embarrassing, we can stop whenever you like to-"

"You?"

He stopped short in his rambling to stare at her, and she marveled at her own bravery.

"Eh?"  
"Are you… a-a virgin?"

Slowly, he smiled.

"No."

"Do you still love her?"

For a half a second, his eyes left hers and his smile twitched, making her think that she'd gone too far, but then he was looking at her again, smiling the soft sad smile of a man drowning and happily doing so.

"Yes."

She actually felt a small sting of jealousy at hearing that, but mostly, it just made her feel sad for him.

"I'm sorry-"

"Don't be. You've lost many as well, haven't you?" He put his hands behind his head in a relaxed gesture, yawning. "None of us chose this, but that doesn't mean that we have to make each other miserable, right?"  
He gave her a friendly wink.

"Let's just try to be friend for a start, alright? Then we'll see where we get from there."

She smiled back.

"That sounds great, Darui-san."

_**~5**__**th**__** of July~**_

"Hey jerk face!

Sorry this letter took me so long, I've been really busy with bodyguard-stuff lately.

Anyway, first of all: Stop getting heart attacks over everything all the time. I asked Darui and he didn't know whether Samui likes flowers or not, but she hasn't come and yelled at us yet so I'm sure it's fine, it's the thought that counts right?

And second: Hinata? _**CUTE?! **_

Trust me when I say that after three weeks of living with her, I _**know **_that she is a lot of things; but she is _**not **_cute!

She is a coward, she's meek, she's annoying and keeps stuttering all the time when she's nervous, when she's blushing (that is ALL THE TIME) her head looks like a frikkin tomato, she's clumsy and stupid and naïve and the only reason she'd ever like you is because she likes EVERYONE – seriously, what kind of a kunoichi DOES that?!

She is not worthy to marry Darui. Samui never would have agreed to this.

I can't wait until the wedding is over and I get to come home to you and Bee-sama, no matter how annoying you two are you're still better than these pompous Hyuuga bastards.

Anyway, write me back soon, and go tell Samui I said hi! /Karui"

_**~20**__**th**__** of July~**_

She'd chosen to hand out the invitations herself, on foot.

Not all of them of course, she couldn't possibly run all the way to, for example, Sunai or the Hidden Village of Cloud– but the ones that mattered to her, her friends and family in Konoha; _**that**_ she could do, that she _**owed them **_for still not telling them about her marriage.

She started, strategically, with Lee during their morning spar.

"You were supposed to marry Neji." He whispered, once he'd read the letter, making her feel slightly nervous.

"Y-yes. According to our family t-traditions, we really should have married years ago, b-but father always postponed it. Now, it's time for me t-to fulfill my duty."

"You can't force love."

She smiled, and handed him another invitation as well.

"I know. G-give this to Tenten-san, once she's woken up."

He blushed bright red.

"I will."

After that, she decided to take Akamaru on a morning run.

She dropped by Sakura, Ino and Chouji at the hospital, explaining the situation to them and making a big lecherous smile spread over the blonds face that made Hinata _**know **_that soon, the entire village would have heard out about this.

Hurrying her steps to reach the rest of her friends before the rumors did; she broke into Shino's house to surprise him coming from the shower with nothing but a towel and his sunglasses on, found Sai and Naruto eating at Ichiraku's (big surprise there), visited Kakashi-sensei and his green clad fiancé (they already knew, but she wanted to invite them personally anyway) in the Hokage office and got a suggestion about joining Gai-sensei for wedding dress shopping some day and, finally, dropped by Sasuke's apartment to hand his invitation to his guards, that promised to deliver it to him.

It had taken a lot to convince the elders to let her invite the Uchiha; not only because he was considered a dangerous, A-class criminal, but also because of his history with the Raikage and Bee-sama.

But then, after a lot of pleading, some gentle prodding from Darui, and a written acceptance from the Cloud Village, they caved in.

She was growing increasingly fond of her fiancé, Hinata had discovered.

Sure, he was kind of lazy and kept apologizing for everything all the time, but he was also very kind, and strong, and brave, and he never backed down from helping her defend herself against the elders.

She was also growing fond of his bodyguard, even though it seemed like the feelings were completely one sided.

Karui was the complete opposite of Darui; she was loud, brash and brutally honest, she never did anything halfhearted and she _**never **_backed down from a challenge – and, over the last couple of weeks, she'd made it painstakingly clear to everyone and _**especially **_Hinata, that she hated her, and probably always would.

Hinata sighed and patted Akamaru's back softly.

She was tired, and it was time to go home.

Looking at the big white dog, she thought about simply jumping up on his back and riding him, it wasn't like she'd never done it before, when Kiba was still alive; but she decided against it.

That spot was reserved for Kiba, and Kiba alone.

They were a lot alike Karui and him, Hinata decided as they made their way through the village streets.

He'd hated her too in the beginning, when they were just kids and he'd pulled at her hair and called her weak to show her that he cared.

But then they'd grown older, they'd gotten into the same team and… she blushed and walked a little faster.

She went home, and if her gaze lingered a little too long and a little too dreamy on her fiancé's female bodyguard instead of him during dinner, no one needed to know.

_**~12**__**th**__** of July~ **_

"Hey Karui!

I went to visit Samui and read your letter to her to hear what she had to say about it and you know what she thinks?  
She actually had a _**really **_interesting theory about you; she said that, even though you keep talking about how much you _**hate **_Hinata, you seem reeeeeeeeaaaaaally interested in her.

I mean like REEEEEAAAAAAAAAALLY interested.

Which leaves us to wonder: you don't think that you've fallen in love with Darui's fiancé, have you? ;)

With love and respect for your newfound sexual orientation /Omoi =D

P.S: Stay strong!"

_**~3**__**rd**__** of August~**_

Karui was sitting in the Hyuuga garden on a park bench, huddled up around herself in order to keep warm in the cool summer night.

She was staring up at the stars in a strange moment of peace, when she felt someone come walking up to her.

She didn't need to look to know who it was.

Still, she was a little surprised when Hinata came down to sit beside her, reaching out a cup of steaming hot green tea.

Without a word, Karui accepted the treat, feeling the warmth of the cup spread through her fingers as she blew the steam from the surface gingerly.

They sat like that for a while, side by side on the park bench in the middle of the night, listening to the sound of the silence and each other's breathing, before Hinata spoke up.

"Who was she?"

The question startled Karui slightly, making her look at the raven headed girl in surprise.  
She couldn't possibly mean…?  
"The woman who keeps you up at night? You and Darui-san? She was Darui-san's lover, wasn't she?"

They looked at each other for a long, long time, Karui's heart beating wildly in her chest, before she decided to and what to answer.

"She was my team leader…" the red head broke their eye contact suddenly to take a sip of her tea. It was still too warm, it scolded her tongue and her throat, but it spread a wave of warmth through her body and it tasted heavenly. She took another sip. "…her name was Samui, and she'd been together with Darui for a couple of years before…"

She couldn't finish.

It didn't matter, Hinata understood.

Once again, they drifted off into a comfortable silence, simply enjoying the tea and, strangely enough, each other's company.

Karui felt herself begin to doze off. Maybe, if she went to bed now, she could get some sleep tonight after all?

"Is th-that…" There was that damned stutter again! She looked up slowly and felt her curiosity pike at the blush on Hinata's cheeks. "…is that why you hate me, Karui-san?"

Suddenly, she was wide awake again.

"You don't remember me."

It wasn't a question.

It made Hinata look up at her in wonder, and Karui had to force herself to look away from those strange, pale, all seeing eyes of hers to continue.

She forced up a laugh that came out sounding as more of a sob, and rubbed herself on the back of her head sheepishly, keeping her eyes set on the now almost completely empty cup of tea in her hands.

"We fought together, in the war. Or at least, we did so in the beginning. You were nervous, and I tried to cheer you up! Finally, you smiled at me, and when the first wave of Zetsu's washed over us we fought back to back until-" _until I glanced backwards, and I __**saw you**__, kitten. Only you weren't no kitten anymore, you were a __**lioness**__, clawing and punching your way through your enemies, __**and you were beautiful**__. _

Overcome by memories, she stood up quickly and put down her cup next to Hinata, all the while avoiding looking at the other girl.

"I need to go sleep now!" She choked out hastily, and began to leave for her bedroom. "Thanks for the tea!"

"Wait!" Karui heard her stand up, just as quickly, and hastened her step so that she wouldn't run up to her, turn her around and catch her with _**this look **_on her face. "Don't go!"

She fled into the house, and practically threw the paper door closed after her.

_**~14**__**th**__** of July~**_

"Dear Omoi

Go choke on a flower /Karui"

_**~18**__**th**__** of August~**_

Hinata was feeling slightly woozy.

They'd crashed her place at four o' clock in the morning on a Saturday, her only day off training with Lee (oh glorious sleeping day), Ino screaming something about a bachelorette party, making the Hyuuga think about how the security on the estate _**really **_needed to be tightened (seriously, it felt like someone was breaking into her room every other day now).

To wake her up, the blond threw a bottle of sake into her hands for breakfast, completely ignoring Sakura's complaints, and then they'd thrown her into the backseat of a limousine, packed with other women.

Apart from Ino and Sakura; Tenten, Kurenai, Hanabi, Shizune, Tsume, Hana and a bunch of other familiar faces were all there, smiling and fuzzing over her playfully.

For the following hours, they played silly games like truth or dare and spin the bottle, and Hinata got herself a nutritious breakfast consisting of two chocolate bars and a can of soda that she found in the mini bar.

When they arrived, the raven couldn't believe her eyes.

They were at a spa.

Not some night-or strip club, or a wrestling arena or a bear fighting pit – but a _**real spa**_, complete with hot springs, mud baths, hot stones massage and (most importantly) a breakfast buffet.

Needless to say, Hinata's day became heavenly after that.

She stuffed her face with rise balls and fruit; got massaged together with Kurenai and Shizune; watched Ino and Sakura get into a mudwrestling match; and finally shared the secret of the loss of her virginity while in the hot springs together with Tenten after a couple of shots of sake for courage (it was after a completed mission. They were about 15 years old. Shino had almost died, and to calm them all down Kiba had passed a bottle of whiskey that he'd stolen from his mom around. It was the first time any of them had gotten drunk, and it ended with a threesome they all pledged their lives on never speaking a word of to _**anyone **_about once they'd all sobered up).

When the day was over, Hinata was sleepy but more relaxed than she could remember ever being in her life before, and practically threw herself into the hotel room that the other women led her to, too tired to suspect anything even though everyone else were whispering and giggling amongst each other.

The sight that reached her on the other side of the door would forever in print itself into her mind.

There, on the bed, Kotetsu and Izumo were standing, dressed in nothing but matching Amor outfits complete with pink frilly wings and… where those _**diapers?! **_

But that wasn't all!

No, because chained with his feet and his hands to the bedsides, Ibiki, the Konoha master of torture, whose name was commonly used to scare children into behaving themselves all over the five ninja nations, was standing on the floor, blushing red as a beet, wearing nothing but a skintight, black leather string and a strange, red ball in his mouth, whip in hand.

But, alas, even _**that **_wasn't enough of a bizarre sight to mentally scar Hinata for the rest of her life – because, all of a sudden, Ebisu-sensei, the closet pervert himself, plopped out as if from nowhere, wearing a black bowtie, his standard glasses and an _**apron **_to hide his neither regions!

Also, he was holding a tray.

Against her own good judgment, Hinata found her gaze search it out and study it.

It was filled with a mountain of condoms.

"So girls…" He purred seductively. "…I heard that you were looking for some _**room service.**_"

She would have died then. Right then and there, on the spot, she would have died from the embarrassment and happily do so, if it weren't for a certain, evil blond putting her hand on her shoulder, grounding her into reality, and asking:  
"I know what you're thinking. How did we make them do this, right?"

A certain, equally evil pink haired kunoichi put her hand on Hinata's other shoulder, a smirk on her face as she answered Ino's question:

"Kakashi-sensei owed me a favor."

_**~21**__**st**__** of August~**_

"Four days."

The words made her cringe.

The dark look that her grandfather, Hayate Hyuuga, was sending her was enough to send a cold chill running down Hinata's spine.

She was in trouble now.

"You were gone for _**four days**_, Hinata. Explain yourself!"

"I-I…!" Damn her stutter! She searched the room with her eyes, desperately looking for some kind of support, but failed. The Hyuuga family council where sitting gathered around the long table before her; a bunch of old men and women with wrinkly hands and cold eyes, many blind from over using their Byakugan in their youth. Amongst them, Hanabi was sitting in her wheelchair, but when Hinata tried to catch her sister's eyes the younger girl only frowned and stared down at the floor. Hinata tried again. "…I-Ino, she…"

"You already know the story…" She turned around. There, by the doorway, Darui and Karui were standing, and she swore she'd never been so happy to see them as she was then and there. Karui wouldn't look at her, but Darui, bless his soul, walked up to her and put a protective hand on her shoulder, eyes set grimly on the council before them. "…Hanabi left that note didn't she? And we've had the story verified by several witnesses and cooperators, such as Akimichi Chouji, Rock Lee and the Hokage himself! Yamanaka Ino and her friends took Hinata here out on a bachelorette party, as is custom in the Fire Country. It was a couple of days of well-deserved fun, don't you think? Why are you all acting as if she's a criminal on trial…?"

"It was irresponsible!" One of the elders, an old lady crippled by rheumatism, shouted, making Hinata cringe. "She has duties! Important ones! The family economy is still in scrambles since the war, another barrack for the under family's needs to be built and there's just one month left until the wedding! She doesn't have _**time **_for fun-!"

"Perhaps." He interrupted, clenching Hinata's shoulder a little tighter for and to support. "I'm sorry but maybe she _**needs **_it? Maybe we _**all **_need to just… just relax for a while? Have some fun? Ever since the war we've burdened ourselves with work, work, _**work!**_"

"You'll have enough fun on your wedding night!" The old hag grinned, making both of them blush and Darui stumble a couple of steps away from Hinata.

"That's not what I-"

"We don't care what you meant…" Hayate interrupted darkly, effectively shutting everyone up. He turned his pale, all seeing eyes towards his oldest granddaughter, making her go cold with fear. "…it was irresponsible. As it is now, we can pass it off as a beginner's mistake, but if my granddaughter wishes to contain the position as head of the clan, she'll never do it again…" he turned to Darui. "…keep your future wife under control, _**boy**_."

_**~21**__**st**__** of August**_

She was sitting on her bed, Akamaru's big head placed in her lap, trying her best to cry.

Thoughts and memories of what had just transpired were swirling through her head; she'd been at the top of the world until she'd gotten back to the village, life seemed bright and full of possibilities, her marriage had seemed like a piece of cake because she had her friends there to support her – and then she'd returned back to her family, and they'd brought her right back down on earth.

She'd shamed them, they'd said.

She was a disgrace, should feel embarrassed about herself – she didn't have _**time **_for happiness, and if she didn't better herself they'd replace her, just like that.

Hinata tried to cry, _**desperately **_tried to clench out the tears she knew would have come easily to her three months before, but she was a different woman now, a _**stronger **_one, and all she could feel was anger.

The raven was practically shaking from it, it sent her chakra boiling within her veins and made her dig her fingernails so deep into the covers that they ripped because _**how dare they?! **_

_**How dare they **_shame her like that, how dare they try to manipulate her, how dare they hurt Darui like they had – **she **was the leader of the family, the strongest member of the clan now that her father and cousin were dead, _**they **_should be listening to what _**she **_had to say, not vice versa!

Her chakra did a sudden, dramatic peak, making Akamaru wince and pull away from her.

She looked at the frightened dog, that ran off to hide in the corner, and suddenly all anger left her.

"I'm sorry, Akamaru-kun…" she whispered, and fell down onto her knees on the floor. She stretched out a hand to him. "…I didn't mean to…" She closed her eyes, unable to end the sentence. Guilt was twisting in her gut - she needed to learn how to control her own powers better, Kiba would never forgive her if Akamaru got hurt.

Slowly, the ninja dog stood up and walked up to her.

He gave Hinata's hand a tentative sniff, and then he closed the distance between them and licked her all up over her cheek and through the bangs of her hair.

She smiled and embraced him, burying her face in his thick white fur, and breathed him in.

It didn't last long though, as he suddenly gave her a shove, sending her onto her back on the floor, and then they were wrestling, just like she'd seen him do with Kiba.

The memories brought a smile onto her lips, the smile turned into laughter, they rolled around on the carpet and for a minute or two she forgot all about her responsibilities, her dignity and her marriage. She only stopped laughing to take loose, playful love bites on Akamaru's neck or sides or back – wherever she could reach really, loving the feeling of sticky fur in her mouth and freedom in her heart.

To do something so simple, so loving, so _**animalistic **_– oh, if only the elders would have seen her then - then they'd _**really **_have something to yell at her for!

The thought made another laugh slip out from between her lips, making her let go of the dog's neck with her teeth to pull the big dog's head to her, forcing it down to press his forehead against hers, and kissed his wet nose.

"You need to know…" she breathed through the laughter, and let out a small giggle when his tongue came down to lick at the tip of her nose. "…you need to know, that I'll always love you the most, Akamaru-kun."

"Is that so?"

Hinata froze.

The dog released itself from her grip and walked over to greet the person standing in the now open doorway of her bedroom.

Slowly, the raven sat up and turned towards the visitor as well, her heart pounding with fear.

There, by the paper door, patting Akamaru's head half mindedly, Karui was standing with an unreadable expression on her face, staring down at Hinata.

Suddenly feeling uncomfortably self-conscious, the Hyuuga heir tried to flatten down her messy hair, combing through it frantically with her fingers. She felt her face heat up with shame and looked down at the floor.

"Y-you…" her heart was beating so fast in her chest; she thought for sure that it would burst. "…you won't t-t-tell anyone, will you?"

"What? That you were having a make out session with your dead boyfriend's dog?"

"Th-that's not-"

"What? Not _**what**_?! You weren't making out with the dog, or Kiba Inuzuka wasn't your boyfriend?"

Hinata heard the sound of the door slid shut and cringed.

A couple of long, hard steps came pounding towards the Hyuuga heiress, and then Karui was sitting on her knees before her.

Hinata kept her eyes on the floor however; too afraid to look up, too afraid of what she might _**see**_.

"Aren't you gonna answer me?!"

"K-kiba-kun…"

"Yes?!"

"K-kiba-kun wasn't my boyfriend."

"Oh really, then who is?!"

"Wh-what?"

"Oh please, Kitten! It's obvious that you have SOMEONE! You sneak off early every morning, everyone knows you're not a virgin-"

"Th-they DO?!"

"-and then, just a couple of weeks before your marriage, you disappear _**for four days **_without even so much as a note!"

"I-I was on my b-b-bachelorette p-p-party-"

"Yeah right. _**For four days?**_ Sure, your little girlfriends are covering for you now, but I'm sure that if I went and beat some sense into them they'd tell me a completely different story! But that's why I'm here right now, I don't want to have to do that! No, I'm being the good guy and I'm giving you the choice to tell me yourself and come clean! Hinata, _**who is your lover**_?"

"I-I don't have-"

"LOOK AT ME WHEN YOU LIE TO ME!"

Suddenly, there was a hand in her hair, and Hinata gave out a pained squeal as the dark skinned girl lifted her face to meet hers.

Karui's eyes were wide with anger and _**something else **_that made the raven's heart skip a beat for reasons unknown to her, but all thoughts of how close they were and how soft the other girl's lips looked died when she secured her grip on her hair and asked her again:  
"_**WHO **_is your lover?! Is it that Lee-guy you keep training with every morning?! Or that creepy bug guy – your former teammate?! Or is it that Naruto-kid…" the name sent a jolt of electricity through her body. "…the one everyone keeps talking about like he's some kind of a saint - don't tell me that you don't have _**some kind of feelings for him **_I've _**heard **_the Pain story!"

"N-naruto-kun-?!"

"See! You're blushing! I knew it!"

"I-I-I…!" She didn't know what to say. Her thoughts were tumbling frantically through her head, her tongue felt heavy and clumsy and she couldn't stop staring at Karui's eyes, that were so close and so _**golden **_– how had she never noticed this before?! "…N-n-n-naruto-kun…!"

"What?! What's WRONG?! Why won't you just TELL ME that you're fucking him?!"

"Because I'm NOT!"

A sudden surge of strength filled her as she forced Karui's hand out of her hair, pushed the other girl onto the floor and straddled her waist, securing her hands over her head.

Brimming with anger at the unjust accusations, she looked deep into the dark skinned female's eyes, that were suddenly filled with fear and confusion, and snarled:  
"I am NOT having an affair with Naruto-kun! I was in love with him for many years, even though I knew that he didn't feel the same way about me, even though I _**knew **_that he barely knew that I e-existed…" she felt herself begin to tear up, and frantically blinked the wetness away. "…when the Elders came to me and said that I had to marry, and that I couldn't marry _**him**_, I told myself to let him go! And I did! It took a lot of determination, and a lot of strength that I didn't even know that I possessed, and _**a lot **_of help from my friends…" Hinata let out a half strangled laugh, and turned her face to look at the wall in a desperate attempt at hiding the tears trailing down her cheeks from Karui's sight. "…it was _**so painful**_, but I did it! I'll always admire Naruto-kun, and I'll always love him as a friend, but I know now that we weren't meant for each other! Not _**like that**_. No, I… I don't understand _**why **_you'd even think that I'd be cheating on Darui? He's become a great friend to me, why…?" She looked down again, trying to catch the other female's eyes, but she was frowning at the wall. "…why would you even _**ask? **_Don't you _**trust me**_...?" Still no response. "…I… I _**like you**_, Karui-san! I know that you don't really feel the same way, and that it's foolish of me to think that we could ever be friends but I…" She gave out another bitter laugh. "…I guess that's just me, isn't it? I always want the people that I know don't want me back."

Hinata looked down at the girl pinned underneath her and felt _**emptiness **_fill her heart.

Why wouldn't she answer?

"Karui…" she tried again, and released one of her wrist's to wipe a stray of red hair from her forehead. "…please look at me."

Slowly, Karui turned her face around and did just that – and suddenly, Hinata _**saw. **_

There was anger in the dark skinned girls eyes, anger and confusion and shame and hurt, a small trail of tears were trailing down her cheeks – and then there was that _**something**_, that something that Hinata knew all too well after years of following the shadow of a love interest she knew would never notice her, and, suddenly, _**everything made sense. **_

"Karui…" she whispered, trying to make out the frantic bloom of emotion that had burst inside her chest (_doubt, nostalgia, pity, sorrow, anger, happiness, __**warmth**_).

"K-kitten…" the girl stuttered, before she blushed, closed her eyes and shook her head against the carpet. "…D-don't look at me, Kitten…"

Hinata looked at her, looked at the rosy blush on her cheeks, the cute way that her nose was crunched up and the moist on her soft looking lips, and smiled.

Slowly, she reached out and cupped Karui's wet cheek, stopping her in the middle of her movement and making her open her eyes in chock.

"I'm no kitten…" She smiled, and leaned in. "…I'm a lioness."

Hinata captured Karui's lips with her own, and she _**devoured. **_

_**~22**__**nd**__** of August~**_

Hinata woke up naked, warm and blissfully happy by the feeling of a soft hand on her cheek.

After blinking the light out of her eyes, she first saw Akamaru laying snoring on the floor beneath her bed, and then Karui laying next to her, looking at the raven with a strange expression on her face that made Hinata smile softly.

"Good morning." She whispered.

The redhead leaned in and planted a small kiss on the tip of her nose, before she breathed:  
"Run away with me."

Hinata froze.

"Run away with me. Please, it's the only way we could ever be together, and you know it."

"I can't…"

"Yes! Yes you can, Hinata!" Karui pulled away from her and cupped her cheeks, making them stare into each other's eyes; gold against silver. "We'll go together! There's nothing for us here-!"

"My family…"

"Your family is a bunch of wrinkled old fools who won't even allow you to spend time with your friends!" She laughed, and the sound of it only made the knife Hinata could feel twisting in her heart dig deeper. "You deserve to be happy! We both do and I…" suddenly, the red head blushed and looked down at the mattress. "…I could make you that. Happy, I mean. If only you'd let me. I… I love-"

"That's enough." Hinata pulled herself away, even though it hurt so much that it left her trembling.

"But… but why…?"

"I-I…" She turned to stare at the wall in order to hide the tears rising in her eyes. "…I have a life here, Karui-san. R-responsibilities…"

"Responsibilities?!" The dark skinned girl sat up quickly and grabbed Hinata's wrist in an iron grip. It felt just like a burn. "Who _**CARES **_about your responsibilities?! Those are just… just CHORES given to you by those lazy, self-righteous old PRUNES because they don't want to do it themselves! They don't care about you, Hinata, they think that they can just… just USE you however they want to and-!"

"That may be true." She interrupted darkly. "But… My friends, Karui-san…" Hinata took a deep breath, trying to steady her resolve, and tried not to notice the way her lover was shaking. "…my friends are all here. My friends, and my sister, and the graves of my cousin and father. I can't just leave them all behind because of some..."

A long, thick silence stretched itself out between them, all because Hinata couldn't find it in herself to finish the sentence.

"Some _**what?!**_" Karui finally snapped and let go of the Hyuugas wrist. "Some _**mistake?!**_"

"N-no!" Hinata flushed and turned to her. She grasped after the other females hand, but Karui pulled it away. "This wasn't a mistake – _**you **_weren't a mistake, I really…"

"Really what? Enjoyed it?!" She spat, and Hinata panicked slightly when tears started streaming down her cheeks. "Did I do a good job, is that it?! _**DID I SATISFIE THE LIL' PRINCESS?!**_"

"Th-that's not-!"

"Oh, so I didn't?! Well you better hope Darui does it better then, because you'll NEVER get it from me again!"

"I…" _I love you, too! _She wanted to scream, but as she watched Karui stand up and pull her clothes to her, angry tears falling from her eyes, she suddenly realized with a chill in her heart that it was better this way.

This way, the other girl would move on and forget that this ever happened, her love would fade and Hinata… Hinata would live her life by the side of her husband; she'd focus her energy on ruling the clan and she'd tried to forget as well, even though at the moment, it seemed impossible.

Without a word, Karui stomped out of the room and slid the paper door closed with a "BAM!", and Hinata bowed her head down and she cried.

_**~23**__**rd**__** of August~**_

"Omoi

I'm coming home. /Karui."

_**~15**__**th**__** of September~**_

Darui's hands were shaking.

To calm him down, Hinata placed hers on top of them and gave him a soft smile.

For a couple of seconds, he stared at her, and she could see the panic in his deep brown eyes, but then they softened as well and he smiled right back at her.

He took the ring from the altar and slowly slid it over her finger, eyes never leaving hers.

As Hinata picked his ring up as well, she thought of the words he'd told her (_"None of us chose this, but that doesn't mean that we have to make each other miserable, right? Let's just try to be friend for a start, alright? Then we'll see where we get from there."_), she thought of Karui and how she hadn't come to the wedding, she thought of her sister, her clan, her friends and her life there in Konoha, and how even though letting one love go had been painful, she still had many more to live for.

Hinata slid the ring around Darui's finger, they took each other's hands and she smiled at the audience as they drank their traditional sake, knowing that everything would be alright and that her father would have been proud.


End file.
